Epilogue
by ThreeRainyDays
Summary: A silence passed between them that lasted a few seconds. Finally, Cheren said, "You never even told me you were leaving." What happened after Black/White. Because the end is never truly the end. Checkmateshipping. Touko/Cheren.
1. Prologue

**Epilogue**

Bianca gave her a tight hug, gulping as she tried not to cry. "Promise me you'll visit," She said. "And come back once in a while."

Touko closed her eyes and returned the hug, smiling all the while. "Don't worry, Bianca," She said. "I'm not leaving forever."

"It sure feels like it," Bianca huffed and let go. "I can't believe you're going to the Sinnoh region, Touko. That's crazy far away."

"I'll be back," She said. "Besides, I believe you promised me a spot at your wedding. And I wouldn't miss that for the world."

Bianca laughed half-heartedly. "Yeah, I'll bet."

"Take care, okay," Touko gave her another hug.

"You too," Bianca said. "I'll let you talk to Cheren now. He wanted to speak to you separately."

Cheren stood on the side, hands shoved into his jacket pockets. He had been dreading this moment since last Tuesday when he first found out that Touko was leaving. It came as a shock to him, and he hadn't even seen her since hearing the news from Bianca. Now that he was here in Nimbasa City sending her off, the whole thing felt much more real than it had a week ago.

He watched Touko release Bianca and walk towards him. "Hey Cheren," She said.

He sucked in a breath of air, trying to calm his nerves. "Hey Touko," He said. "So you're really going, huh?"

She held his gaze. "Yeah," She said. "I am."

A silence passed between them that lasted a few seconds. Finally, Cheren said, "You never even told me you were leaving."

Touko averted his eyes this time. "I should have," She admitted.

"Why didn't you?" He asked in an accusing tone.

"Because," She forced herself to meet his eyes again. She gave a small smile. "I didn't want to see you look the way you do now."

"I wish I had known sooner," He said. "Then I could have spent more time with you. I didn't even get you a gift, Touko."

She laughed, sounding more like the cheerful girl he knew her to be. "You know you didn't have to get me anything, Cheren."

"Yeah, well, it seems like the kind of thing you'd do in a situation like this," He said, feeling slightly embarrassed. "Especially since I don't know when you're coming back."

The laughter died down. She sighed. "Yeah,"

"Now I can't give you all those Christmas and birthday presents I was planning," He said. "This is a terrible inconvenience for me, you know that?"

She grinned. "I apologize for your suffering."

Cheren felt himself smiling too. She had that effect on him. "Well, I suppose I can overlook it," He said. "What are you going to do up there anyway? Why do you need to go to Sinnoh?"

"Cynthia offered to show me around the region. And I wanted to go to see more of the world… see new Pokémon I've never had the chance to meet yet. Can't you just imagine it, Cheren?" She said, and he could see that familiar excitement lighting up her eyes. "Such a new and amazing place, with new things to see… I want to see it all."

"Will you ever come back?" He asked the question he'd been longing to ask since he first heard the news.

"Well, yeah, of course."

"Are you sure? Because you seem so excited now, I don't know. What if you end up liking it so much that you change your mind and don't want to come home anymore, and then –"

Touko hugged him, effectively cutting him off. "Stop being so negative, Cheren. You know I wouldn't do that," She said. "I promise."

Cheren sighed. "How can you promise that?"

"I can," She said firmly. "This is my home. And I don't think I could live with myself if I never saw you again."

Cheren felt his heart rate pick up. "Well, what kind of friend would I be if I told you not to go?" He laughed into her hair. "You better come back."

"Well, duh," She said.

"I expect a battle when you do," He said.

"Of course."

"I'll probably lose."

Touko chuckled at that. "You never know."

The wind blew softly causing her long hair to obscure part of her face. Cheren resisted the urge to reach out and tuck it behind her ear. "Yeah," He managed to say. "You never know."

She smiled and hugged him again. "Thanks for everything, Cheren," She said. "You're the best friend I've ever had."

"Don't say it like that," He hugged her tighter. "Don't make it sound like you're saying goodbye."

"Alright," She said, and he swore he heard her choke back a sob. "I'll see you soon, then."

Mustering up every ounce of courage he had, Cheren took in a slow breath. "Hey, Touko?"

"Yeah?"

"When you come back, there's something I need to tell you. So don't forget."

"Okay," She said. Her eyes were sparkling with tears but she quickly wiped them away.

Releasing her Hydreigon from its Poke ball, she swiftly climbed onto its back. With a final wave at Cheren she took off into the night sky.

Cheren watched the Dragon Pokémon disappear into the distance. He let out the breath he had been holding and decided, right then and there, that he would make the most of the time Touko was gone. If she was going to become better than so would he.

Bianca had watched this exchange silently on the side. She saw the determined look on Cheren's face and couldn't help smiling to herself. "That boy is so hopeless," She murmured.


	2. Two Years Later

**Epilogue – Chapter 1**

**Two Years Later**

The sliding doors opened automatically and a rush of warm air flowed into the building. The trainers stopped what they were doing and watched the person walk swiftly inside.

"Good morning, leader," One boy said.

The others echoed similar sentiments, to which the young man replied a quick hello. He was a little on the tall side, dressed in a white dress shirt and black slacks. His dark hair fell lightly around his face, a serious expression set into his features. He nonchalantly adjusted his red tie and walked purposefully towards the back room.

Someone was already waiting there for him, and smiled upon his arrival. "Hello, Cheren."

Cheren nodded deferentially in return. "Hey, Touya."

Touya whistled in appreciation as he took a look around. "Nice place you've got here. Never thought I'd see you become a gym leader. But hey, life's funny sometimes."

"Yeah, I guess," Cheren said. "But that's not all you came to say, is it?"

"Well, no," Touya admitted. "I guess you probably want me to cut to the chase, huh?"

"That would be nice."

Touya grinned. "You won't believe this," He paused. "Touko's back."

"What?" Cheren said. "She is?"

He nodded. "Yeah, I know. Isn't that great? Even I haven't seen her since she left, and I'm her twin brother."

"She's back?" Cheren repeated.

"Yeah, for real, I'm not kidding you, man. She just called me yesterday, I hardly believed it myself. I mean, geez, she disappears for two years and then she suddenly calls me out of the blue yesterday saying she just got back to Unova. I mean, whoa, right? I wish she'd given me some advance notice or something, but whatever."

"She's back," Cheren said again.

Touya nodded in an understanding kind of way. "Take all the time you need, dude. I was shocked myself. In a good way of course," He said. "I haven't been to see her yet, but she said she's free on Friday. I'm guessing you'll want to be there?"

"Yeah," He managed to say. "Yeah, sure. Sorry, I'm just surprised, that's all."

"I understand," Touya said kindly. "After all, you've been sort of looking forward to this, right?"

"What?" Cheren looked at him.

"Oh, come on, you don't have to lie to me, Cheren," Touya rolled his eyes. "I totally know you've got a crush on my sister."

Cheren blushed scarlet. "No-"

"Hey, I'm cool with it," Touya said bracingly as he patted him on the shoulder. "You're a good guy, Cheren."

"Uh, thanks, I guess," Cheren said. "But how the heck do you know about it?"

Touya rolled his eyes. "It was kinda obvious."

"Obvious? Like how?"

He raised an eyebrow. "You ever look in a mirror sometime? It's written all over your face. Besides, I've known both of you since we were kids and I'm not blind."

"That's nice to know," Cheren said sarcastically, back to his old self. "Do you think she's noticed?"

"Doubt it. It's easy to see when someone likes someone else, but hard to tell when someone likes you," Touya said wisely. "I doubt she's noticed anything."

"Mm," Cheren mumbled.

"Got mixed feelings about that, huh?" Touya said shrewdly. "I'm sure it'll all work out in time. Take a chill pill in the meantime, Cheren. You worry way too much."

"Can't help it, it's in my nature," He said briskly. "And anyway, I've got an operation to run here. I'll be kicking you out now, if you don't mind."

"Actually I do mind," Touya tried to protest as Cheren pushed him out the door.

With a satisfied kind of sigh now that he'd gotten rid of Touya, Cheren ran a hand through his hair. He glanced around the gym, pleased to see that his student trainers were getting along with their Pokémon. He turned around and walked towards a desk at the back of the room. There was an open box there holding six Poke balls. Cheren's expression softened as he looked down at them.

He held one in his palm, clicked the button in the center, and watched as a Serperior emerged in a stream of light from the ball. The other trainers paused what they were doing for a moment to watch their leader. It was no secret that their leader had once been a contender for the spot of League Champion, but that didn't mean it wasn't any less awe-inspiring every time they got a chance to see his old Pokémon.

The two regarded each other for a moment before Cheren walked up to it and stretched out his hand. The Serperior leaned its head down and Cheren stroked it affectionately. "Hey there, old friend," He said softly. "How've you been?"

His Pokémon nuzzled his hand in a warm manner, blinking at him with kind eyes. A look of understanding passed between them after which Cheren gave a small nod.

"Yeah, I know," He murmured. "It's been a long time, hasn't it? I'm sorry we haven't been out much lately. I've been getting used to things with the new gym and everything."

He looked around again, a complex expression on his face. Serperior nudged him gently, a questioning look in his eyes.

"Don't worry, I could never forget about you guys," Cheren smiled. "Besides, it'll be like old times again. Touko's finally back."

There was a pause in which Serperior gave him a knowing look. Cheren sighed. "Not you too, Ivy."

Ivy gave a derisive snort and grinned. "Okay, okay," Cheren patted his head again. "You'll be up front when we battle her next time, deal?"

Ivy nodded before curling up to watch the other Trainers battling. "I'll let you guys out tomorrow, go get some training in without me, okay?" He said. "I've got something to do."

Another look from Ivy made Cheren huff in frustration. "Yes, I'm going to see Bianca. Geez, you know me too well."

Cheren sighed for what he felt must have been the umpteenth time that day. He let his mind wander through reminiscent memories about the days when he was still 16 years old and traveling the Unova region with his best friends. A lot of time sure has passed, he thought. He blinked back to reality, knowing that he was too busy to spend time daydreaming. So much to do and it was only 9 in the morning.


	3. Tea for Two

**Epilogue – Chapter 2**

**Tea for Two**

Cheren stirred his coffee absentmindedly. He glanced at his watch, an annoyed look flickering across his face.

A bell rang as the door to the coffee shop opened and a young woman hurried inside. She wore a white V-neck shirt, an orange jacket layered over it, and grass green tights. The girl walked rapidly towards Cheren, panting hard as she sat down.

"You're late," Cheren said.

"Sorry," She said. "Lost track of time."

"So I noticed," Cheren said. "It's half past 3."

"Sorry," She apologized again. "Tell you what, food's on me. Order anything you want."

"Whatever," Cheren shrugged. "It's fine, really. I'm used to you being late, Bianca."

Bianca smoothed her bangs back. "Yeah, yeah, since you've never been a day late in your life. We can't all be as punctual as you."

"Well said. But anyway, did Touya tell you-"

"That Touko's back?" Bianca interrupted before he could finish his sentence. "Yeah, I heard. I'm so excited to see her! I bet she had loads of fun over in Sinnoh, I mean, she must have loved it if she ended up staying for two years."

Cheren smiled. "Yeah, I'm sure she had a great time."

"So are you going to tell her?" Bianca whispered mischievously.

Cheren scooted back instinctively. "Tell her what?"

"You know," She grinned. "That you're in love with her."

"WHAT!" He all but jumped out of his chair. A few customers turned to stare at him. Cheren waved apologetically to them as he tried to recompose himself.

"What are you talking about?" He whispered more quietly. "Did Touya put you up to this?"

"No, he didn't. And Touya? Even he knew? Wow, Cheren, you've gotta get going if even her twin brother noticed. And he's about as observant as a rock," Bianca leaned back in a self-satisfied sort of way.

"What is it with you guys lately," Cheren muttered. He was about to push up his glasses but realized that he was currently wearing contacts.

"I think it's sweet, actually," Bianca gushed. "The way you care about her so much you couldn't bring yourself to stop her leaving. You guys are too cute."

"Who said anything about that?" Cheren asked blushing scarlet. "And anyway, Bianca, why do you care about me and Touko?"

"I care," She leaned forward across the table. "Because I think you've waited way too long to admit your feelings to her, Cheren. You shouldn't waste your life like this. Just get on with it and admit that you like her!"

Cheren ignored her, opting to stay silent as he took another gulp of cold coffee.

Bianca rolled her eyes. "Oh, come off it, Cheren. You have nothing to lose and everything to gain."

"Nothing to lose? How about my friendship with Touko?" He replied heatedly.

"Which includes," Bianca continued as if she hadn't heard him. "Her friendship and a newfound relationship on top of that. You know, Cheren, sometimes in life you've gotta be willing to take risks. Something you've never been very good at by the way."

"I resent that," Cheren said.

She gave him a pointed look. "Oh really? Says the boy who likes to plan, analyze, and over think everything."

"I do not," He muttered.

"Do too," She insisted. "And we're getting off topic here."

"Yeah, we are," Cheren said. "We were supposed to be hanging out as friends, discussing Touko's return, yet somehow we've gone off on a tangent to talk about my nonexistent feelings for her!"

"Look buddy, it's cool with me if you don't wanna say it out loud. But at least admit it to yourself, that in the deep dark depths of your cold heart you do have feelings for Touko," Bianca said.

A long pause followed. Their waiter returned with Bianca's iced tea and poured more coffee into Cheren's cup while Bianca ordered sandwiches. She sipped her drink, content to let the silence hang there while Cheren mulled things over.

Finally, he said, "I have nothing more to say on the subject."

"If you say so," She said.

Another long pause ensued. Cheren stared out the window, idly sipping his now lukewarm coffee.

Bianca broke the silence. "I won't mention it to you anymore, if you're so eager to forget about it. Okay?"

"Fine."

"So, aside from Touko, how's the gym coming along?" She asked.

Cheren shrugged. "Pretty good, I guess. It's a different kind of experience for me."

She nodded. "I expected as much. Requires a lot more work than you thought, huh?"

"Yeah, but it's interesting," Cheren said. "I like being in charge."

"You are good at giving orders," Bianca agreed.

"Ignoring that," He said.

She shrugged helplessly. "It's true!"

"So what about you? I haven't seen you in almost a year, if you can believe that," He said.

"I can," Bianca said. "I've been unbelievably busy doing fieldwork for Professor Juniper. I would've called, but, you know…"

"You forgot," Cheren deadpanned.

"Well, yeah," She said lamely.

"It's okay, can't say I expected anything else from you."

"Hey, what's that supposed to mean?" Bianca argued.

"Oh, nothing," Cheren said as he stood up. "Look, I've gotta go. I'll see you around, Bianca."

"What a lie, you just want to get away from me!" She called after his retreating figure.

"I never said that," He replied over his shoulder.

"What about the sandwiches?" She asked.

He waved his hand vaguely. Bianca sat back down as the door closed behind him. Their waiter approached her table with the platter of sandwiches. Bianca gave him a look that plainly said, "Can you believe him?"

Pulling out her wallet, she said, "Sorry, can I get the check? Looks like I'll have to take these to go."


	4. Hello Again

_ThreeRainyDays - And here we go with another chapter of Epilogue! I'd just like to say thank you to all the people that have been reading, favoriting, following, and reviewing this story. Without further ado, I now present to you chapter 3, in which Touko and Cheren finally meet again._

* * *

**Epilogue – Chapter 3**

**Hello Again**

The rest of the week whizzed by for Cheren and before he knew it, it was Friday. For the past week, he'd both been looking forward to and dreading this day. He had a lot of mixed feelings about seeing Touko again, some of which were harder to identify than others.

Obviously, he was excited. How could he not be? Two years and she had finally come back to Unova. That was definitely something worth celebrating.

But now that she was back, he wasn't quite sure what to do. How was he supposed to go about picking things up where they left off? Cheren was pretty sure he'd end up doing something stupid, but decided that it was too late to worry about that now.

He had just flown into Nuvema Town on his Unfezant and was standing awkwardly outside Touko and Touya's house. It had been a long time since he'd returned to his own home, Cheren realized, and he hesitated in front of the door. He had just raised his hand to knock when the door flew open.

"Are you gonna stand there all day, Cheren?"

"I should hope not," He said, startled by the sudden motion.

There she was, holding the door open as nonchalantly as if she'd never left. Touko. He noticed she had left her hair down today, only because it was rare to see her without her usual high ponytail. Dressed in a casual blue tee and shorts, she looked more normal than he expected her to look. But in the end, Cheren knew he didn't really care what she was wearing or how she looked.

"Why are you standing outside my house like a stranger?" She grinned lopsidedly. "It's not that hard, you know. Open the door, walk in. Done."

"For your information, I was being polite," He said. "Normal people knock first."

"Right. If I hadn't intervened you would've been standing there all day," Touko said.

"Then what are we doing still standing here?" Cheren pointed out. "Aren't you gonna let me in?"

"Great, now I'm the stupid one," She said.

"I wouldn't say stupid," Cheren replied as he stepped inside.

The house looked the same as he remembered it. The last time he had been here was when he, Bianca, and Touko had chosen their starter Pokémon from Professor Juniper. He remembered it as if it were yesterday. _Has it really been that long?_ Cheren thought to himself.

"Hey Cheren!" Touya called from his spot on the couch.

"Cheren! Glad you made it!" Bianca said.

"How did you get here before me, Bianca?" He asked.

She shrugged. "Beats me. Hurry up and sit down, Touko was just telling us everything."

"So where was I?" Touko asked as she sat down again.

"Lake Verity," Touya prompted.

"You went to Lake Verity?" Cheren asked incredulously. "I've only ever heard about it."

She nodded proudly and held up three fingers. "All three Sinnoh lakes, actually. I'll show you the pictures I took on my X-Transceiver later. They were completely amazing; the patterns in the water blew me away. But I mean, I wouldn't even have been able to get there if it weren't for Cynthia and Professor Rowan, they completely supported me while I was over there…"

As Touko continued to talk Bianca and Touya would interrupt with questions every so often, but Cheren just listened. It was fascinating to hear about all the things she'd done, but a small part of him felt disappointed that he'd missed so much of her life. It felt strange to Cheren; Touko was back, but he didn't feel the overwhelming sense of relief and happiness he had been anticipating.

Bianca glanced up at the wall clock. She gasped. "It's late you guys. I've gotta go now, but I can't wait to hear more next time. So glad you're finally home!"

She hugged Touko, who happily returned the gesture. "Definitely. See you, Bianca."

Touya stood up and stretched. "In that case, I'm going to bed. Night, sis, Cheren."

"Night," Cheren said.

"So, I'm guessing you'll be going too?" Touko turned to Cheren.

"Actually, no," He admitted. "It's a long trip back to Aspertia, so I'll be staying at my house. I'll Fly back in the morning."

Touko's face lit up. "Hey, in that case, do you wanna sleep over? It'll be just like old times."

"What?" Cheren looked taken aback. "I don't want to bother you…"

"Bother me? Like even! Come on, Cheren, you're my best friend. I don't think you're going to cause any trouble." She rolled her eyes. "Just accept the invitation already."

"Um, but, I, er, ah…" Cheren trailed off.

"Okay then," Touko effectively cut him off. "Go get the blankets in the closet. I'll be right back."

She left the room to go upstairs while Cheren reluctantly went to get the blankets, muttering to himself all the while. "She's so… argh. It's not like we're ten anymore, doesn't she get that?"

He laid out the sleeping bags, a small smile on his face. He complained about her a lot, but he knew it was more out of fondness than dislike.

Loosening his tie, Cheren slipped under the covers. He sighed in relief, closing his eyes in content. Still, he had to admit it felt oddly nostalgic to lie on the carpet in her house, just staring at the ceiling. Like old times.

Touko came back downstairs, dressed in a loose T-shirt and shorts. She knelt down next to him and smiled. "Not so bad, is it?"

He grinned back at her. "Well, accommodations could be better…"

She playfully slapped him on the arm. "There's no pleasing you, is there?"

"It's fine," He said. "Not like I've got anything special planned tomorrow anyway."

"From what I hear, you do," Touko said as she set up her makeshift bed. "Bianca told me you're a gym leader now."

"Well, yeah, but we haven't gotten a lot of challengers yet. I only took over for Lenora about a month ago." Cheren said.

"Still, that's great," She said. "I'm glad you've been doing well."

He looked over at her as she snuggled under the blankets. Touko smiled right back at him. "It's been alright," He said at last.

"You don't know how nice it feels to be back home," Touko said. "To see you guys again… it feels like a dream."

"Yeah," Cheren whispered. "It does."

"Thanks for agreeing to stay over. I know I kinda forced you into it," She paused. "But I'm glad you did."

"Well, you're kinda hard to say no to," Cheren said.

Touko grinned. "Good."

"Are you going to sleep or what?" He asked.

"Guess I am now," She said. "Since you so obviously don't want to talk to me."

"Yup," Cheren replied as he rolled over.

He smiled as he heard Touko laughing behind him. He felt her lean down next to him, placing one hand on his side. Not daring to move, he stayed still.

"Good night, Cheren," She whispered as she gave him a light kiss on the cheek.

Touko shuffled back to her sleeping bag and Cheren heard her breathing steadily after she fell asleep. It took him a few minutes thereafter to even out his own breathing. As he lay there in the dark, Cheren thought about how much he'd missed Touko in his life. He suddenly flashed back to two years ago, when they said goodbye.

_ "Hey, Touko?"_

_ "Yeah?"_

_ "When you come back, there's something I need to tell you. So don't forget."_

Cheren wondered where that sudden spark of courage had come from, and where it had disappeared to now that he needed it most. If he was really being honest with himself, Cheren knew that he was still the same coward he had been two years ago.


	5. Welcome to Aspertia City

**Epilogue – Chapter 4**

**Welcome to Aspertia City**

Cheren woke up to the sound of an alarm clock. It wasn't extremely annoying; it sounded like wind chimes and was actually quite pleasant. The supposed alarm was so soothing he would've fallen back asleep if not for the sudden movement he detected a few feet away. There was a whooshing of blankets, a rushed shuffling of feet, and the flick of a light switch being turned on. Cheren instinctively raised a hand to try and block the light, but it still streamed through his fingers.

"Too bright," He mumbled as he squinted his eyes tighter.

"Sorry," Touko said as she turned it back off. Cheren relaxed and lowered his hand, starting to drift back to sleep.

More movement, then Cheren noticed another light being turned on further away from where he was sleeping. Mildly annoyed, he opened his eyes and sat up. Running a hand through his hair, Cheren blinked a few times to adjust. Looking behind him, he saw Touko walking upstairs.

"What are you doing?" He asked, still half-asleep.

"Waking up," She said.

"So I noticed," He muttered.

"Got a problem with it?" She called down.

Accepting the fact that he wasn't getting any more sleep, Cheren stood up and walked to the bathroom. He started to brush his teeth, glad that Touko had provided him with some basic toiletries the night before.

_ "I can't just impose on you like this," Cheren tried to say for the fifth time._

_ Touko wouldn't budge. "I already told you, you're not imposing on me. When someone invites you, it's not imposing."_

_ "But –"_

Just as he had started to protest that he hadn't packed for a sleepover, she started to gather a bunch of necessities for him. She shoved them all into his arms, giving him a look that clearly challenged him to complain. Cheren decided not to argue and accepted the offered goods.

And so he brushed his teeth with a new toothbrush, combed his hair with a spare brush Touko had found, and changed into clean clothes Touya had graciously offered to lend him. Stepping out of the bathroom looking fresher than he felt, Cheren made his way back to the living room. Now that things looked clearer with his contacts in, he set about methodically folding up the sleeping bags and blankets.

Touko reappeared at the top of the stairs dressed in a dark blue tank top and shorts. Her hair was neatly tied up into its usual ponytail and bounced as she hopped down the last few steps. "Good morning, Cheren!" She said.

"Morning," He replied. "Why are you up so early?"

"Had to make sure I got up before you."

Cheren gave her a questioning stare as he finished folding the blankets. "Why?" He asked slowly, stretching the word out.

"Because I'm going to Aspertia City," She said like it was the most obvious thing in the world.

"Why?" He asked in that same tone of voice.

"Because," She said with extreme patience. "I want to see the gym."

Cheren gave her a disbelieving stare. "Why?" He asked, short and incredulous this time.

"Because," She emphasized. "I do. And it just so happens that I'm best friends with the gym leader," She grinned.

"You want to see the gym," He repeated. "Today?"

"Today," Touko said adamantly. "Is that a problem?"

"I guess not. But don't expect anything special. All my trainers are still… well, in training," He finished lamely.

"But isn't that the point of your gym?" Touko asked as she headed to the kitchen to make breakfast. "To teach students the basics of being a trainer? From what Touya told me, your gym is like a trainer school."

"I guess you could call it that," Cheren said. "Why the sudden interest in my gym anyway? Got nothing better to do on a Saturday?"

"Please, Cheren. There're only about fifty other places I could be doing way cooler things than touring a gym on a Saturday. You know how in demand I am," Touko said sarcastically while Cheren snickered in the background. "But seriously though, I'm interested because it's _your_ gym. I wanna see how you run things."

"If you insist," He said.

"Good," She said. "Now that that's taken care of, I have an important question to ask."

He waited. "Yeah?"

She pointed to the frying pan. "Do you know how to fry eggs?"

* * *

Cheren held up a Poke ball and clicked the center button. There was a brief flash of light and his Unfezant appeared before him. It nodded regally to him while fluffing up its gray feathers. He stroked Unfezant affectionately before climbing onto its back. Touko was already ready and securely seated on her Pokémon.

"What Pokémon is that?" Cheren asked curiously.

"Honchcrow," She replied. "Cool, right? I named him Heath."

Heath cawed smugly, ruffling his feathers as if to show just how cool he was. Touko laughed lightly.

"Wow," Cheren said, suppressing a grin. "Quite an attitude."

"He likes to show off," Touko admitted. "But he's pretty reliable."

"Any other new Pokémon?" He asked.

"Yeah, a lot, actually," She murmured. "I'll show you some other time. Ready to go?"

Cheren nodded. The two bird Pokémon lifted off from the ground and rose quickly in the sky. It was bright and sunny today, Cheren noticed, with a few sparsely spread out clouds. The sky was a calming shade of baby blue, and he breathed in the fresh scent of pine on the breeze.

"I love flying," He called to Touko, who flew beside him.

"Best feeling in the world," She agreed.

"So tell me more about Sinnoh," Cheren said. "What else did you do?"

She tilted her head as she thought about it. "Where should I start?"

"What did you like the most?" He asked.

Touko paused. "I don't know."

"Well that really narrows it down."

She laughed. "Yeah, yeah. I went to a lot of places, okay?"

"So start at the beginning then," Cheren said impatiently. "Just tell me something. Talk about your Pokémon. Anything, really."

"You'll like this," She said. "I got you a present."

He glanced over at her, his expression a mixture of surprise and interest. "A present? Why?"

She shrugged and smiled sheepishly. "Why not? And besides I think you'll like it."

"What is it?"

"I caught you a Pokémon. Super cool, you'll love her. I'll take her out of my PC next time I remember, okay?"

Cheren smiled to himself. "Thanks, Touko," He said just as their birds started to descend towards Aspertia City.

* * *

Cheren landed lightly on the grass. He returned Unfezant to its Pokeball, taking a moment to stretch after the long flight over.

Touko turned around slowly, taking everything in. She had an awed expression on her face, eyes wide and excited. Finally she stopped and looked at Cheren. "Wow," She said.

He grinned and spread his hands. "Welcome to Aspertia City."

"I'll say," She whistled in approval. "Pretty nice place."

"So, shall we?" Cheren gestured to the gym.

"We shall," She said as she linked arms with him.

The familiar sliding doors opened before them. The trainers nodded respectfully to Cheren. Some gasped when they saw Touko and hastened to greet her as well.

"Why are they so flustered?" Touko whispered to Cheren, glancing nervously at all the bowing trainers. "You guys get visitors every once in a while, don't you?"

"You were once the Champion," He reminded her. "People haven't forgotten, even though you've been away. Just smile and say hello, they'll love it."

"Oh, shut up," She said.

"So," Cheren spoke up to address everyone. "As you may have noticed, this is Touko, the former Champion. She's also my childhood friend, so I'll be showing her around the gym. That's all, keep training as usual."

There were murmurs of consent. Some of the younger trainers stole a few more glances at Touko before going back to work.

"Thanks," She said. "It was a little embarrassing having everyone's eyes on me."

"You get used to it," Cheren shrugged. "Besides, you should feel honored. I don't even get that much respect."

Touko just rolled her eyes and walked through the gym. Cheren briefly showed her the classroom and the small library before leading her to the battle center out back. A Herdier and a Patrat were staring each other down as their trainers shouted commands. Touko watched the battle with interest.

"So, listen," Cheren said as he stood beside her, observing the battle. "I've been thinking lately, and there's something that's been bothering me."

"And what's that?" She asked.

"I… really missed you, Touko."

She stopped watching the battle to look at Cheren. "What brought that on?"

Cheren looked down as he blushed. "I don't know. I'm still getting used to seeing you again. And I don't want things to be awkward between us."

"Awkward?" She echoed. "Why would things be awkward?"

_Because I'm in love with you and you have no idea. _"Because we haven't seen each other in two years," He said. "It's like a part of me has forgotten how we used to be."

"How do you think we used to be?" Touko asked quietly, the practice battle completely forgotten by now.

"Best friends," Cheren answered immediately. _Or were we something more?_

"That's what I think too," She said, sounding relieved. "So remind me again. What's the problem here?"

"Just answer me this," He said slowly. "We're still best friends, right?"

"Always," Touko didn't hesitate to say. "Was there ever any doubt?"

"No," He said. "Sorry, it was stupid."

"It's not stupid," She said firmly. "Cheren, nothing you say is stupid. And if something's bothering you then just say so, okay? Don't make me worry."

Cheren hesitated. If ever there was a moment to admit his feelings, this was it. He should do it. He was gonna do it. He really was. Any second now. But… the longer he stared at Touko, with her kind smile and cutely concerned expression, the more Cheren lost his nerve.

The brief spark of confidence he felt died almost instantly. All he could manage to say was, "…Alright."

Cheren was mentally bashing himself over the head, his thoughts a jumbled mess of insults to himself and snide comments about how he'd never get anywhere with Touko at this rate. While he was silently beating himself up, Touko started talking again. He hadn't even noticed he'd missed anything until she was staring at him intently, obviously waiting for some kind of answer.

"Sorry, what?" He said.

"You were spacing out, weren't you?"

"Yeah."

She shrugged. "It's alright. What I said was, are you free on Monday?"

"Why Monday? Do you need me to be somewhere?"

"Something like that," She said. "On Monday I'm going to the Pokémon League. Alder called me after he heard I was back, saying that they wanted to talk to me about my position as Champion."

"Oh," Cheren said.

"Yeah. I'm pretty sure it's about whether or not I'll still be Champion, since I was out of commission for so long," Touko explained. "So here's where the offer comes in. I'd like to ask you to come with me."

"What?" He asked. "Are you allowed to do that?"

"Hey, they didn't say I couldn't bring anyone," She said. "And besides, I'd feel better if I had a friendly face there with me."

"I'll be there," He heard himself say. "I'm not quite sure I get what's going on here, but I'll go."

"Thanks, Cheren," She smiled. "Well, I've gotta go now. Bianca wants to go shopping with me later today."

Cheren just laughed. "You couldn't say no, huh?"

"You know how she is," Touko said, laughing too. "She likes to plan these things without telling me until the last minute and then…"

"Alright," He said. "I'll see you later, Touko."

"Bye Cheren," She said as she waved goodbye.

She was almost to the door when Cheren called out to her. "Touko!"

Touko turned around. "Yeah?"

"I'm glad that you're back. Really."

She beamed. "Me too," She said. "Me too."

* * *

_Thanks for reading! Next chapter: Touko's visit to the Pokemon League!_


	6. The Champion's Choice

**Epilogue – Chapter 5**

**The Champion's Choice**

The rest of Cheren's weekend turned out to be relatively uneventful. During the intervals where he wasn't doing anything, Cheren thought about Touko's request. It was strange that she wanted him to attend what seemed like an average meeting. He had already guessed that there was something else bothering her that she hadn't told him yet.

But he figured there was no point worrying, and so on Monday Cheren found himself standing outside the entrance to the Pokémon League. He sat down on the stairs, absentmindedly whistling to himself as he waited for the others. It was ten to nine – still early.

At exactly six minutes and thirty-seven seconds past ten (or so his watch said), Cheren felt a hand on his shoulder. He looked up to see Alder standing next to him, grinning down in that carefree way of his.

"Well, hello Cheren. Wasn't expecting to see you here today," Alder said.

"Hey Alder," Cheren stood up. "I'm waiting for Touko."

"She told you about the meeting?"

He nodded. "Yeah. She said it's about her position as Champion…"

"That's right. But we're wasting time here," Alder said as he gestured for Cheren to follow him.

Alder led the way to a room all the way in the back, past the statue at the center of the main entrance. Inside it looked almost like a regular house, spread out with a few rooms that Cheren assumed were for each member of the Elite Four. There was a large sitting area with a few sofas and armchairs that Alder gestured to.

"Have a seat," Alder said. "The others should be here soon."

"Thanks," Cheren said as he sat down on the smooth leather couch. "Just to clarify, it's okay for me to be here, right?"

"Sure, why not?" Alder said indifferently.

"There's something else," Cheren said hesitantly. "It's about the nature of this meeting. What exactly do you plan to tell Touko?"

"Well, now, that's a little trickier," Alder said. "That's part of what we'll be deciding today."

The door opened suddenly as several people walked into the room. There was a woman with dark violet hair cut in a short bob style, her clothes a matching shade of mauve. She clutched a book in one hand and took a moment to adjust her glasses. A tall man with relatively good looks followed after. His dark hair was slicked back and he was decked out in a long coat that swept from side to side as he moved. The next was a young woman with blonde hair that traveled down to the floor in waves. She rubbed her eyes sleepily as if she had just woken up. The last man had an imposing physique, his gaze bright and intense. He clapped the yawning woman on the back and got an irritated glare in response, but he just grinned back.

Cheren recognized all of them on sight as the Unova Elite Four. He silently commented on each of them, noting how it'd be hard for anyone to forget such bizarre appearances. Shauntal, Grimsley, Caitlin, and Marshal each spoke a brief hello before taking a seat around the room. Last to enter was Touko. She looked so oddly normal after following the other four, dressed in a simple red shirt and khaki shorts. "Hi," She said.

"So!" Alder clapped his hands together. "Now that everyone's here, let's get down to business."

"Um, first of all, why _are_ we here?" Caitlin asked, still looking a little disoriented. "I was not informed of this gathering until ten minutes ago."

"Caitlin, didn't I tell you?" Shauntal whispered behind her hand. "It's about Touko's return."

"Ah, I see. Carry on then," Caitlin waved her hand dismissively.

Alder began to speak again. "The main reason we're here is to discuss your potential future as Champion of Unova. If you choose to –"

"Wait, hold on," Cheren interrupted. "Potential future? I thought she was the Champion. Even if she was on hiatus for two years, Touko did technically defeat the Elite Four and the previously reigning Champion."

"You're right in that respect, but…" Alder said.

"After Touko left, we carried on as usual," Marshal explained. "And Alder continued to act as Champion in Touko's place. However, even after two years, no one was able to beat Alder the way Touko did."

"So basically, her earlier win is still valid," Grimsley concluded. "And we'd like to invite her to officially take over the role of Champion. That is, if she accepts."

"Well, why wouldn't you?" Cheren turned to Touko. "It's a great opportunity. Right?"

Her hesitance gave it away. "I…"

He looked at her critically for a moment before understanding dawned on his face. "You don't want to be the Champion anymore."

There was an awkward silence that followed his statement. None of the Elite Four said anything, but there was suddenly a tension in the room that was difficult to ignore. Cheren just stared at Touko, trying to understand why.

"I'm sorry," Touko said to Alder, refusing to meet Cheren's eyes. "But I don't think I do."

"I understand," Alder said sympathetically. "I'm a little disappointed of course, but I guess I wasn't entirely unprepared for this."

"I'm sorry," Touko looked down at her hands. "If I don't accept, what happens now?"

"And that's why we're here," Caitlin said. "To decide what happens next."

"You're quick on the uptake," Shauntal commented.

"She is a psychic," Grimsley said drily.

"So?" Marshal turned to Alder. "What now, Mr. Champion? Er, that is if you're still Champion."

"I am, for the moment, still Champion," Alder agreed. "And so in that case, nothing changes."

Touko, who had been quiet for most of the meeting spoke up suddenly. "Well then, if that's settled can I go now?"

Cheren knew she wanted to leave before things could get more awkward, but he still had something to say. "Touko, can I talk to you after?"

She looked surprised but nodded. Caitlin stood up and smoothed her dress out. She nodded politely to the two of them. "It's been a pleasure, Cheren, Touko. If you'll excuse me, I have some business to attend to."

"She's going back to sleep, isn't she?" Shauntal muttered to Grimsley. He chuckled lightly as the rest of them got up to leave.

* * *

Cheren sat on the steps outside the Pokémon League again, waiting for Touko to finish talking to Alder. He heard footsteps approach and saw someone sit down beside him out of the corner of his eye. The two sat there for a moment, neither saying anything. Touko eventually turned to Cheren and gave him a questioning look.

"So what did you want to talk about?" She asked.

"Why did you refuse?" He asked bluntly.

Touko stared at Cheren for a while, searching his expression for something. "I think you know why."

"Actually, I don't," Cheren said. He shook his head. "I don't get it, Touko. You worked so hard to become the best, and now you're just giving it up. What I don't understand is why. Why would you just give it all away?"

She laughed humorlessly before breathing out softly. "You're a great trainer, Cheren. Your ambition is what drives you to succeed. I know you. You've always wanted to be number one. So when you see me giving up everything you've ever wanted, well, I guess I can understand why you're mad."

"I'm not mad," He said. "Just confused. So explain it to me."

"You forget sometimes, Cheren," She smiled at him gently. "Being the Champion was never the ultimate goal for me like it was for you."

"I always thought…" He trailed off.

"It's alright," She said. "It's just not for me."

Cheren took a moment to let that sink in for him. It was true; he was always the one who talked about challenging the League someday. He reached out to place his hand over Touko's. She turned to face him, a question in her eyes. "You okay?" He asked.

"Yeah, I'm okay. Listen… I'm really glad you were here today. And I'm glad that everything worked out in the end. Champion or not, I think what really matters to me is that I'll always have you to rely on, Cheren," She said. "So, I've gotta go now. I'll see you later?"

He nodded. "Yeah, see you later," He said.

Touko waved goodbye as she walked out of the League. Cheren sat on the steps for a little while longer, thinking about everything Touko had said. Her decision surprised him, that's for sure, but he understood a little better now why she made it. With all the expectation on her shoulders, Cheren felt guilty for not realizing how much pressure she had to deal with. As he thought about all of that, he realized that the problems she was facing might be more serious than she let on.


	7. Dramatic Entrances

**Epilogue – Chapter 6**

**Dramatic Entrances**

BANG!

Cheren slowly glanced up from his work. He didn't even blink after the door had swung open rather violently to reveal someone standing at its entrance. The two just stared at each other for a few seconds before Cheren spoke up.

"Hey Bianca," He said. "Nice day, isn't it? Or at least it was until you interrupted it."

"Hi Cheren," Bianca said. A few of the gym trainers were making large hand signals behind her. One of them pointed to Bianca and shrugged. Cheren figured as much.

"So what do you want?" He asked bluntly.

"I can't talk here. Leave that alone, it's not as important," She said as she tugged his arm in an attempt to pull him away from the paperwork.

Cheren sighed loudly and put down his pen. "Fine, I get it. But was that really necessary?" He asked as he pointed to the door.

Bianca shrugged. "Not really. I've just always wanted to do that."

"Do what?" Cheren asked in an exasperated tone. "Break down a door?"

"Make a dramatic entrance," She replied.

Some of the trainers were still making vague arm motions to him as he followed Bianca out of the gym. Cheren just rolled his eyes and waved his hand for them to go back to work. The trainer who shrugged earlier gave him an apologetic gesture.

Outside, Cheren said, "Alright, will you tell me now? What's so important that you had to disturb the peace?"

"I need a favor," Bianca said.

"Oh, is that all? In that case I'll refer you to someone else who can –"

"I need a favor from you," She said. "Specifically you. You're not escaping me this time."

Cheren breathed out in mild annoyance. "Alright, what do you need? Because you know I won't lend you any money after what happened last time –"

"No, it's not about money or anything like that. And geez, do you really not trust me that much?" Bianca put her hands on her hips.

He raised an eyebrow. "Well, considering you squandered my money on shoes, spent more than you could afford on credit, and then made _me_ pay off your debt… Do you know how high the interest rate was?"

She held up her hands in defeat. "Okay, okay! You don't trust me at all, I get it! But this is important! So would you just shut up and listen for a second?"

Cheren obliged and sat down on a bench. He folded his hands in his lap and adopted an expression of mock attentiveness. He gestured for her to go on. Bianca nodded in approval and continued speaking. "Professor Juniper wants me to gather some field data for her. But I'm not sure if I'm up for the job," She said.

"Why not?" Cheren asked, forgetting his vow of silence. "She always asks you to do that. What's so different about this time?"

"This time she wants me to go to another region."

He paused. "Oh. I see. But still, you can do it. Touko went to the Sinnoh region," Cheren offered. "And she had a great time. If she can do it, I think you can too, Bianca."

She shook her head. "You don't get it, Cheren. I'm not like Touko, who can go exploring by herself. Even when we went on our journeys two years ago… you guys were always there to support me. This is different. I don't think I can do it."

Cheren was quiet for a moment. Other people walked by, chatting idly to each other. It was a pleasantly cool day outside despite the sunshine. Birds chirped happily in the background. "So this time, you need my advice," He said at last.

"Yeah," Bianca said. "I understand if you can't, I can see you're a busy guy. So I'll just go and –"

"Don't be stupid," He said a little harsher than he intended to. "Obviously this is bothering you, so I'm going to help you. What kind of a friend do you take me for?"

She smiled. "Thanks, Cheren. So what should I do?"

"First of all, where does the Professor want you to go? Which region?"

Bianca thought about it for a few seconds. "I think she said it was the Hoenn region."

Cheren whistled. "That's far. Well, there's really no beating around the bush with this one. Just tell her the truth."

"But what if she hates me?" Bianca burst out. "Oh my gosh, what if she fires me?! I could lose my job! I don't wanna lose my job!"

"Don't be stupid!" Cheren yelled, all harshness intended this time. "She won't hate you and she's not gonna fire you! Think about it and use your head for once! It's Professor Juniper, I'm sure she'll understand."

She calmed down a little. "You're… you're right, Cheren. I'll tell her."

He nodded in agreement. "Good. I don't see why this was such an issue, but whatever. Problem solved. So I'll just go back to what I was doing –"

"Actually, there's something else. I still haven't told you what the favor is," Bianca grabbed the end of Cheren's shirt as he tried to escape.

"Something _else_?" Cheren said as he collapsed back onto the bench. "I thought the advice was the favor!"

"Nope," She said, smiling a little more than Cheren thought necessary. "There's more. So, since I can't go to the Hoenn region, I'd like to ask you to go."

"What!"

"Instead of me," She clarified. "How about it, Cheren?"

"I repeat – WHAT! No, no, no, absolutely not!" He shouted while pacing back and forth. "What makes you think I'd agree to this, Bianca? Are you insane?"

"Aw, come on, Cheren! Can't you be a pal and help me out here? I'll owe you!" She begged.

"A favor doesn't even begin to cover something of this magnitude! Do you even realize what it is you're asking me to do? I'd have to leave my gym unattended, which already looks bad, and then I'd have to arrange for someone to take over while I'm gone! Oh, and I really don't see how I can afford this," Cheren listed.

"Ten favors, then! Please Cheren, you're the only one I can ask!"

"You have other friends!" He said. "Why me?"

"Next to Touko, you're the best trainer I know," She explained. "And Professor Juniper knows you. Come on, please?"

"Touko!" He exclaimed, pointing a finger at Bianca triumphantly. "Why don't you ask Touko? She likes traveling, she'll do it!"

"Um, no."

"Why not?" He spun around to face Bianca. "Why can't you ask her? You had no problem asking me!"

Bianca looked down at her shoes, twirling the ends of her skirt around her finger. "Cheren," She said slowly. "Do you think maybe I should just go myself?"

Cheren stopped pacing back and forth. He could tell by the tone in her voice that she was asking him seriously for once, and he paused to consider her question. Of course it'd be easier for him to tell her to go, and after all she did need to learn to stand on her own eventually. He just didn't understand why this was scaring her so much.

At last he said, "Yeah, you should."

She smiled a little. "I guess I knew you'd say that."

"I'm not just saying it for me, you know. I'm saying it because I think it'd be better for you if you went yourself. Don't you think so?" He asked.

Bianca nodded and looked up again. "You're right, as usual, Cheren. I'm just not used to that kind of thing, because of, well, because of my dad."

"Hm," Cheren said sympathetically. He understood that. "How are things between you two now?"

She shrugged. "Better. But he's still a little upset that I'm away from home so much. Daddy… he just wants to protect me, but…"

Cheren put a comforting hand on her shoulder. "You'll be fine, Bianca."

"Thanks, Cheren. You always seem to know the right thing to say," She said.

"Not always," He muttered.

"Are you referring to Touko, perhaps?" Bianca asked mischievously. "That, my friend, is unfortunately where I can't help you. How's it going, by the way?"

He made a noncommittal gesture. "I don't know, same as always."

"Lame!" She said as she punched his arm. "I swear, you're so practical about everything, but when it comes to Touko it's like you throw your common sense out the window. Dude, what's up with that?"

"Five seconds ago you were spilling a sob story to me and now you're scolding me? How did this become about me anyway?" Cheren asked as he rubbed his arm.

"You annoy me a lot sometimes," Bianca commented. "And do you wanna know why? Because it's not that hard! Just tell her how you feel! Do you have any idea how frustrating it is to watch you beat around the bush all the time? You're never getting anywhere unless you take the initiative!"

"I'm surprised you used that word correctly," He remarked.

"Thanks, I learned it from you, actually," Bianca flipped her short hair back in response. "But quit avoiding the point. You've gotta work it, Cheren. Get moving before someone else does. And don't freak out okay?"

"Why would I freak out?" He asked in annoyance.

She gave him a look. "Do you ever stop to listen to yourself? You have a tendency to freak out."

"Yeah, okay, whatever, I'll try it, bye," He mumbled as went back inside the gym. As the sliding doors closed behind him, he heard the muffled sound of Bianca ranting about how he ditched her again. Cheren didn't really care, and so he went back to work.

* * *

_Why do I always have so much fun writing Bianca? Next chapter: The long-awaited confession!_


	8. Just Be Friends?

_Just wanted to say thanks to everyone who's been following this story. Your support means a lot to me, even if you're just checking this out on a whim. I sincerely appreciate every review, favorite, and follow I get from all of you. And now, without further ado, please enjoy chapter 7 of Epilogue!_

* * *

**Epilogue – Chapter 7**

**Just Be Friends?**

A few days after the Bianca episode, Cheren got a call from Touya. He didn't phone often, so the call was strange enough already. Things only got more uncomfortable from there when Cheren figured out what Touya was calling about.

"So you're still not going out with Touko yet?"

Cheren stared in disbelief at the X-Transceiver screen for a few seconds. Touya gave a single nod to confirm that he was serious. "That's what you called me about?"

"Well, yeah," Touya said. "I figure you needed another push in the right direction."

"Bianca put you up to it, didn't she?" Cheren deadpanned.

"I won't deny that she called me," Touya said evasively. "But I was probably gonna check up on you sooner or later anyway."

"And why's that?" Cheren asked in a bored tone. He was getting tired of those two butting in on his love life.

"Because, I have a serious interest in seeing you get together with my sister," Touya replied. "You have my full support."

Cheren resisted the urge to hang up on Touya right then and there. Through gritted teeth, he said, "And why would I care about having your support? I can already tell that this conversation is going to be a waste of my time. Just because you're Touko's brother doesn't mean anything."

"It means everything!" Touya said insistently. "Just be glad that I approve of you, Cheren. Some brothers are crazy protective of their sisters when it comes to dating. Lucky for you, I'm not."

"Uh, yeah you are," He said. "I still haven't forgotten the time you introduced some friend of yours to Touko and the second he started hitting on her you went ballistic. Not an overprotective brother? Yeah right. Even an idiot wouldn't believe that story."

"Okay, okay, I care about my sister. So sue me, I can't help it. I've told you before right? You're a good guy and I trust you," Touya said. "Even if you broke up with her, I'm sure you'd still manage to be friends after."

Cheren stared at him in disbelief again. "Really?"

"That's just the kind of guy you are," Touya said. "My point is, I'd prefer for Touko to marry you versus some other idiot."

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, who said anything about marriage?" Cheren nearly yelled. "And I get the feeling that you're just using me for your own ulterior motives."

"What, who me? No, of course not!" Touya said in an obvious attempt to sound innocent (Cheren wasn't buying it). "What's that? Someone's calling me? Gotta go, see ya, bye."

Cheren shook his head and put away his X-Transceiver. Bianca and Touya really needed to get a hobby if all they did in their free time was bother him about Touko. But if he was really being honest with himself, Cheren knew he was tired of always pretending that he didn't have feelings for Touko. He reluctantly acknowledged that there wasn't any other answer.

It was one of the rare occasions in his life when Cheren willingly decided to take a risk.

* * *

He sat stiffly in his seat. The waiter had just arrived with two glasses of water but Cheren hardly noticed. He nervously readjusted his tie for the hundredth time that evening as he anxiously glanced around the restaurant. No sign of Touko yet. Good. Or was that bad? Either way, waiting had never been Cheren's strong suit, and the wait was killing him.

He called Touko earlier that day, not long after his conversation with Touya. When he mentioned hanging out together, she suggested going to one of the restaurants in Mistralton City. So there he was, ten minutes early, sitting across from an empty chair as he tried to look interested in the dinner menu.

Cheren glanced up as he heard the sound of a chair being pulled back. "Hey, Touko."

"Hey, Cheren," She said. "Looking good."

"Thanks," He said. "You look… great."

Beautiful, he thought. She wore a navy blue dress that matched her eyes and her hair hung in gentle waves around her shoulders. It wasn't too fancy, but more dressed up than her usual shirt and shorts. He definitely noticed how much the outfit brought out her natural beauty.

Touko sat down and pulled her napkin onto her lap. "So, did you order already?"

He shook his head. "I was waiting for you to get here. You're early; I didn't think you'd get here until 5."

She grinned. "What, did you expect me to be as late as Bianca?"

He laughed. "You know me too well, Touko. But I'm impressed by your respect for promptness. Well done."

Cheren clapped in mock politeness. Touko just rolled her eyes. "So, what's the occasion? Why'd you suddenly want to hang out?"

"Do I need a reason to see my best friend?" He asked. "I just wanted to chat, have a good meal. You know, easy stuff like that."

"I see," She said as she took a sip of water. "So what did you want to talk about?"

"You, mostly," He said before he could stop himself. Once he realized what he said, Cheren tried to backtrack. "Er, I meant, well, argh."

Touko giggled. "Okay, sure. Fire away."

He thought about what to say as they were ordering their food. Sure, he'd known Touko for a long time and knew more about her than almost anyone, but Cheren couldn't ignore the fact that there were still some things unbeknownst to him. They were still close as the years went by, but their friendship had changed ever so slightly as they'd gotten older.

As he mulled it over, Cheren decided to bring up something he'd been dying to ask since she came back. "Touko?"

"Uh-huh?" She said.

"I've been wondering," He started slowly. "How long are you planning to stay this time?"

"What?" She asked, a confused look on her face.

"Are you going to leave again? To go traveling?" He asked. "I just thought I should know how much time I have with you before..."

"I'm not planning on leaving Unova again for a while," She said. "Why, were you worried?"

"Actually, yeah. I was," He said.

Touko smiled. "Hey, don't worry. After what happened last time, I'd already decided to let you know sooner. You know, if I was going anywhere."

"Ah, thanks," Cheren said. He realized that the conversation was turning awkward, and desperately tried to think of a way to salvage it when Touko spoke up again.

"Hey, Cheren, I've been thinking," She said. "We've always been talking about me lately. But we never talk about you. So spill it, I wanna hear about what you've been up to."

"Me?" He asked, surprised. "Sure, if you want."

Dinner went smoothly after that. They slipped back into the familiar rhythm of conversation that Cheren had missed so much. He told her all about the gym and how things were improving with his trainers. He told her about Bianca's antics and how he had to pull her out of trouble multiple times (Touko just laughed). It was so easy to talk to her, and Touko was willing to listen to anything he had to say. Everything was going perfectly.

That is, until Touko said, "So have you been seeing anyone recently?"

If he had been drinking water, Cheren would have spit it out on the spot. "Er, when you say "seeing anyone," you don't mean –"

"Like in a romantic sense? Like dating? Yeah, that's exactly what I mean," She grinned in a way that reminded Cheren a little too much of Bianca. "So, meet anyone special yet, Cheren?"

_You_, he wanted to say. _I met you almost twelve years ago._ "I'm still single. What brought that question on?" He asked, his heart beating a little more energetically than usual.

Touko shrugged. "Just thought I'd ask."

"What about you?" He said. "Have you been dating anyone?" Cheren silently crossed his fingers under the table. _Please be single, please be single, please be single…_

"Not really," She said. (_Yes!_) "I met this guy named Lucas while I was in the Sinnoh region, but nothing really happened."

"Have you dated other guys before, Touko?" Cheren asked and then mentally slapped himself. _Why am I making it worse for myself?_

"I have," Touko said. Cheren took her expression to mean something along the lines of 'what's past is past and it's ancient history now'. "But obviously none of them worked out. I've met a lot of different guys, and sometimes we'd hit it off. But in the end it never lasted."

"Why?" Cheren asked before he could stop himself. "What went wrong?"

"Ah, well, life got in the way I guess," She sank a little lower in her seat. "One guy told me he met someone else. Another complained that I never made time to see him. And another relationship just sort of fell apart. What can I say, it didn't work out."

"I'm… sorry," Cheren managed. "You've had a hard time, haven't you?"

"Well, that's life I guess," Touko said. Cheren could see that she was trying to put on a tough act, but he knew he was right.

She seemed to recover a little and said, "So you've never dated anyone before?"

"Actually, no," He said.

"Why not?" She grinned. "No one matched your standards, oh great one?"

He couldn't help grinning in return. "Sad but true. And you know how much I value quality."

Touko laughed. "Okay, okay, I get you."

"But if we're being serious here, I'm not sure. I guess I feel like people shouldn't take relationships so lightly. If you're so casual about it, how can you expect it to go anywhere?" At this point Cheren noticed Touko was watching him intently, nodding in agreement. He kept talking. "So I don't want to rush into things. I'd rather be single than date someone I'm not really into. I'm waiting until…" He looked at Touko, really looked at her, and smiled a little. "…until I meet the right girl."

She stared at him in amazement. "Wow, Cheren. That was really deep."

He shrugged. "I try."

Touko rolled her eyes and punched him in the arm.

After dinner, the two sat together outside. It was a relatively cloudless night and a few stars twinkled overhead. "That was great, wasn't it?" Touko said cheerily.

He took her hand before he could regret it. "Listen, Touko," Cheren said. "If you ever need to talk to someone… I'll always be here, okay?"

Touko saw his serious expression and gently squeezed his hand back. "I will. I trust you more than anyone, Cheren," She said.

"To be honest with you, I feel jealous," He blurted out. "There were all those other guys who got to be with you and they never realized how lucky they were. You deserve someone who actually… loves you."

Her eyes widened. "Cheren –"

"I like you, Touko," He said. "I really, really, like you."

* * *

_Now we're getting somewhere! Next chapter: Touko's answer to Cheren's confession!_


	9. Answer

**Epilogue – Chapter 8**

**Answer**

"I like you, Touko," He said. "I really, really, like you."

Cheren could hardly believe it. After all that agonizing, he'd finally told Touko how he felt. Another part of him snidely added, _Took you long enough._ "I've liked you for a long time, years even, and I wish I had told you sooner. But I wanted to tell you now because I want you to know how much you mean to me. I care about you… a lot."

He held her hand a little longer, neither of them saying anything. To his immense relief, Touko didn't look disgusted or annoyed. She didn't laugh at him or try to brush off what he'd said. She looked completely serious and he realized she was really thinking about it.

She let go. Cheren was afraid things were going wrong and said, "Touko?"

"Can I… have some time?" She said. "I need to think things over a bit. I just… I need some time."

What could he do but nod? "Yeah, sure, totally. Look, Touko, I –"

"Cheren, stop," She cut him off. "Don't worry about it, okay?"

"Okay, but –"

"But nothing," She interrupted him again and smiled a little. "I'm not mad at you, and I don't want you to feel like you screwed up or anything. It's fine, Cheren, it's okay. So, thank you for dinner, I had a lot of fun."

"Yeah," He said. "Alright. Good night."

He turned around and walked away, not caring where he was going. Cheren wasn't sure if that went well or not, but he had to admit that for once, Bianca was right. If nothing else, he felt a whole lot better for finally confessing his true feelings.

* * *

"I did it."

Bianca stared at the X-Transceiver screen blankly. "I'm sorry, what?"

"I told Touko how I feel," Cheren said.

"You did?" She practically squealed into the phone. "Are you serious? Good for you, Cheren, good for you. So are you guys finally an item? Give me the details."

He rolled his eyes. "I'm not a girl, Bianca. And no, we're not dating yet. She said she needed some time to think about things and… well, you're a girl. Can you break that down for me? What did she mean by that?"

"She needs some time to think?" Bianca repeated. "I think you should take that literally. Like, she really does need some time to think about things. You, her, you two together. You know, important stuff like that."

"Why couldn't she tell me straight up whether or not she liked me back?" He asked. It seemed like the obvious thing to do. "I can't stand this suspense of not knowing whether she likes me or not. It's infuriating!"

"Cheren, Cheren, Cheren," Bianca said. He thought her tone was way too condescending, but he held his tongue. "She's giving it some serious thought. You've been friends for so long, she needs some time to see you in a different light. As a boyfriend."

"You wanna know something, Bianca? It's only hitting me now how dorky I must've sounded yesterday. The things I said were so cheesy you could have served them with pizza," Cheren muttered.

There was a short beeping sound on Bianca's end. "Hold that thought. I've got another call coming in."

"Yeah, whatever," He said as he continued to mutter about his shortcomings.

She switched the line and Touko's face appeared on the screen. "Hey, Touko, what's up?"

"Something crazy happened yesterday, Bianca. You're never gonna guess what," Touko said, looking slightly anxious.

Bianca just twirled a strand of hair casually. "Let me guess; Cheren confessed to you yesterday."

"Uh, yeah. How'd you know?" Touko asked, sounding genuinely surprised.

"Lucky guess," She said drily. "It was kind of obvious."

"So you knew, then?" Touko asked. "That Cheren… likes me?"

"It wasn't hard to figure out. You never noticed before?" Bianca asked with interest.

"Well, no, I guess not. I mean, maybe? There were a few times where I thought… but then, well…" She trailed off.

Bianca couldn't help but smile and laugh. "Have you decided what you're going to say?"

"Argh, Bianca, he must think I'm such a jerk! I didn't give him an answer and now I'm stuck overthinking everything," Touko put a hand to her forehead in frustration. "And you know what? Even after all that, I still don't know what to say to him."

"Do you like him?" Bianca asked. It was a simple question, but Touko felt like it was difficult beyond belief.

"I don't know," She admitted. "And I feel awful because I don't know."

"It's alright," Bianca said, surprising Touko. "It's a lot to take in at once. Yesterday he was just your friend, and now suddenly you're not sure what he is. But Touko? Listen, if it makes you feel better, Cheren can handle it."

"Handle what?"

"The truth," She said. "I mean, Cheren's not stupid. He'll accept your answer, whatever it is, because he wants what's best for you. So don't worry too much about what he'll say or how he'll take it. Cheren's stronger than that, and it isn't fair to either of you if you say something just because you think that's what he wants to hear."

Touko was quiet for a moment. "Wow, Bianca. You can be oddly mature at the strangest times. I wasn't expecting you to say that."

"You know, for a minute there you sounded like Cheren," Bianca grumbled. "I can be mature when I want to. I'm not an airhead all the time."

Touko laughed. "No, I didn't mean… well, thanks, Bianca. I've gotta go now, okay?"

"Good luck with everything," She said. "Nice talking to you."

The call window closed as Bianca hung up. She saw the call waiting icon flashing in the corner of the screen and suppressed a sigh. Pressing the accept button, she muttered to herself, "Now I've got this idiot to deal with."

* * *

"Good, I see improvement. Make sure you give your Pokémon clear instructions. They're always relying on you to make quick decisions in the heat of battle."

Cheren was busy instructing his trainers when Touko arrived at the gym. She smiled a little at his intense expression. He was really in his element here, she observed. He could continue to be a trainer while helping others follow the same path. Plus, he was really good at ordering people around.

"Cheren!"

He turned around and blushed slightly upon seeing her. "Touko! Er, ah, hi. I'll be right with you."

Touko waited on the side and watched as he dismissed the trainers. "Okay, so what's up?" He asked.

"It's about the other day."

He froze. The mood immediately turned awkward as Cheren made an effort to look anywhere but at her. "Oh."

She gestured to the door. "Maybe we could talk outside?"

He nodded mutely and followed her outside. They sat down on one of the benches nearby as Cheren tried not to fidget or look excessively uncomfortable. Touko took a deep breath and looked at him seriously.

"Look, Touko, I –"

"I gave it a lot of thought," She said. "I thought about a lot of things, and let me just say this first. You're a really great friend. You're the best friend I've ever had and ever will have. I can't say how glad I am to have met you. I like you a lot, Cheren."

She made to look away but seemed to think better of it and held his gaze. "But… when I thought about it… I don't think I like you the way you like me. I think… I only like you as a friend, Cheren. And I'm sorry."

Much to Touko's surprise, Cheren smiled at her. "It's alright, Touko. Thank you."

"Cheren," She whispered softly.

"No, really, it's fine," He said, the smile still on his face. "I'm glad we're friends, too. And I'm glad that you told me the truth. So, thank you. I've gotta get back to the gym, so…"

"Right, you should go."

"Thanks. Bye."

The smile vanished from his face. Cheren returned through the sliding doors and saw some of the trainers were waiting for him with questions. They stopped when they saw his expression. He knew they were smart enough to figure out what had happened, but he couldn't let that stop him from doing his job.

He knew this might happen. Touko was an amazing girl. She was fantastic, wonderful, breathtaking, and she deserved better than him. He knew that. So it really shouldn't have been a surprise that she turned him down. He was her best friend, but that didn't mean anything. He _knew_ this might happen. But that didn't change the empty sadness he felt as he walked away.

* * *

"You know, if you're gonna stalk someone at least do it right."

Touko jumped at the sound of a familiar voice behind her. She was sitting a few feet away from the Aspertia City gym, trying to see through the reflective sliding doors. It was obvious from her outfit that she was in disguise. Her clothes were very un-Touko like, consisting of a denim skirt paired with black leggings and a brown jacket layered over a camisole. She had tucked her long hair inside a hat and wore sunglasses to conceal her eyes. Bianca covered her mouth and tried not to laugh.

"Talk about Mission Impossible," Bianca said. "That's quite the outfit you've got there."

"I'm not doing anything suspicious," Touko said defensively. "I'm not."

"Right," Bianca said, stifling another laugh. "Here, if I may direct your attention to the right, you'll see an appropriately sized window for stalking."

She rolled her eyes. "What are you doing here, Bianca?"

"Nothing," She said innocently. "Just dropping in on Cheren. Although from the looks of it, you're the one who needs supervision. Wanna tell me what's up?"

Touko took off her sunglasses. "Not really."

"I'm gonna go out on a limb here and say that you turned him down," Bianca said.

"Uh, yeah," She replied awkwardly. "A few days ago."

"And you wanted to check on him to make sure he didn't jump off a bridge or something."

Touko jerked her head up sharply. "Cheren wouldn't do something that stupid!"

Bianca shrugged. "You're right, probably not. But you came to check on him anyway."

She nodded quietly, dropping her gaze to the sunglasses. Bianca sat down beside her and put a comforting arm around her shoulders. Touko managed a grateful smile but continued to look down.

"He'll get over it," Bianca said suddenly. "Everyone goes through some grief after rejection, but it's a part of life. You move on eventually."

"I've turned down guys before," Touko murmured as she turned back to the sliding doors. "But I never felt this… uneasy afterwards."

"I suppose it's natural," Bianca said. "You're a nice person, so it hurts you to reject someone. That's what any decent person would think, right?"

"I know," She nodded half-heartedly, her gaze still locked on the gym doors. "So then why do I feel so guilty?"

Bianca smiled kindly. "That's for you to decide."

* * *

_Just in case any of you were getting annoyed, let me just remind you that this is a Cheren/Touko story. In case you forgot. Next chapter: Expect something a little different!_


	10. The One Who Was Always There

_Thank you so much for all the reviews last chapter! It feels like just yesterday that I was posting the first chapter of this story, and here we are almost at the end. I now present to you, chapter 9 of Epilogue!_

* * *

**Epilogue – Chapter 9**

**The One Who Was Always There**

Touko's first day of school was one she never forgot. She was finally old enough to start kindergarten, and she'd been looking forward to it for a long time. Her parents had been talking about it for a few weeks now, and Touko was more than ready to finally see what school was like. It sounded like a fun place where kids got to play and learn the alphabet and sing songs all day. The only thing that didn't sound too fun was naptime. Her father said she had to at least try to nap, and Touko reluctantly agreed.

It wasn't until the night before that Touko started to worry. Her parents had said that the students were divided into things called classes and that there were only twenty students per class. Touko realized she was facing a crisis – what if she wasn't in the same class as Cheren and Bianca? What if they were separated? To a five-year old, these were very real concerns.

When she saw Cheren and Bianca the next morning, she wasn't quite as cheerful as usual. Bianca was too excited to notice, but Cheren did.

"What's wrong, Touko?" He asked.

So she confided her fears and admitted how scared she was. "I want to be with you and Bianca," She said.

Cheren adopted a thoughtful expression. Finally, he settled for giving her a hug. "It'll be okay."

And Touko believed him, because Cheren always knew what he was talking about. When they got to the school and Touko hugged her mother goodbye, she was immediately relieved to see that all of them were in the same class. Touya was with them too, but Touko could care less about being in the same class with her brother. She flashed a huge smile at Cheren and he returned it with equal enthusiasm.

As soon as she came home, she said, "Cheren is always right!" Her mother just chuckled and told her to wash up for an afternoon snack.

* * *

She was only ten years old when her father died. She was ten years old, and not at all ready for him to leave. For days after it happened, Touko didn't go to school. She hardly ate and it was an effort to get up in the mornings. She didn't even leave her house, and her friends were more than worried. Touko didn't have the strength to deal with anything, and she sat in her room as time continued to pass around her.

A sharp knock at the door broke her out of her thoughts. When she didn't answer immediately, the person opened it and entered the room. He didn't look angry; just concerned.

"Cheren," She whispered.

"Touko," He said as he crossed the room. Sitting down beside her on the floor, he put a comforting arm around her shoulders. "I came to check on you."

"I'm alright," She said. Even to her own ears it sounded forced. "So you don't have to worry about me, okay?"

He frowned. "You're obviously not alright, and you know it. You can't keep yourself cooped up in here forever. If you need someone to talk to, Bianca and I are here for you. You know that, don't you? We hate seeing you suffer like this," He paused and looked at her seriously. "I hate seeing you suffer like this."

"It just… happened so fast, you know?" She said shakily. "One day he's there and the next day –"

Touko choked up as the tears fell. Cheren passed her the tissue box and hugged her while she cried. She felt so stupid for breaking down, because she was trying so hard to hold it in the whole time. Crying wouldn't bring him back, but once the tears started she couldn't stop them.

"It's okay," He said softly. "It's okay."

"It's just not fair," She sobbed. "I didn't want him to go. I didn't want him to die!"

"I know," He said sadly. "And I'm sorry."

"I know it's hard for my mom and Touya too," She said. "I know it's not just me who needs comforting right now. But I can't stop missing him so much. I just… I just want my dad back."

There was nothing left to say. Where words failed, actions triumphed. Cheren stayed by her side and simply held her.

* * *

"Do you think I'm pretty?"

Cheren closed his eyes and put a hand to his forehead. "Touko, that's a trick question girls only ask when they're feeling insecure. I am not answering that."

"How is it a trick question?" She asked in amusement.

"Think about it," He said. "If I say no, you'll get upset. If I say yes, you'll think I'm only saying it because that's what you want to hear. But you obviously want me to say yes, so you'd be quick to suspect that I'm lying. Don't you see? There's no right answer."

Touko stared at him. "You've thought about this a lot."

Cheren shrugged. "I've seen too many movies. More importantly, why are you even asking me that?"

She looked down at her feet. "I don't know."

"Oh, don't give me that, just tell me!" He said.

"Alright! This is gonna sound really stupid but… I don't think I'm very pretty. Compared to other girls," She confessed. "I don't act like a girl at all. I'm more of a tomboy than anything else and I know my clothes aren't cool. I feel so stupid for worrying about something as shallow as my image but… it feels important to me."

He gave her an appraising look. "I see. And what other girls are you comparing yourself to?"

Touko bit her lip as she fiddled with the end of her jacket. Finally, she said, "…Bianca."

"WHAT!"

She grinned apologetically. "I'm serious. She's really cute. I look at how cute she is and then I look at myself and, well, I'm not."

"You're an idiot."

"Um, okay?"

"Just take my word on this, alright? You have nothing to worry about. All those insecurities? Forget about it. You're fine the way you are. No more of this nonsense, got it?" He said as he pointed an accusing finger at her.

She nodded. "Okay. I trust you."

Cheren let out a long sigh. "And anyway, if it really means that much to you…" Touko swear she saw him blush a little. "I think you're pretty."

She blushed a little herself and smiled. "Thanks, Cheren."

* * *

"What are you fidgeting for?" Cheren asked with annoyance.

"Nothing," Bianca said. "Just nervous, that's all."

"But aren't you excited?" Touko asked, eyes sparkling. "We're finally getting our own Pokémon tomorrow! And then we'll get to go explore and travel and see the world…"

Cheren looked amused. "You seem happy."

"I am!" She said. "We've been waiting for this moment for years. All our lives, in fact! And now that it's happening tomorrow, I can hardly wait."

"Which Pokémon do you want, Touko?" Bianca asked with interest.

"Hm," She said as she put on a thoughtful expression. "I don't know yet. I've thought about it a lot, but I keep changing my mind lately. I guess I'll wait until I see them. It's hard to say right now."

A shout interrupted their conversation. "Bianca! Where are you?"

"Coming, Daddy!" Bianca called back. To her friends she said, "Sorry, guys. I'll be right back."

They nodded sympathetically and watched her go. "She's got it rough, doesn't she?" Touko said.

Cheren said nothing. They both knew how protective Bianca's father was. He thought she was putting herself in danger by traveling with Pokémon and was trying to convince her not to go. Bianca didn't talk about it much, but they could see how difficult it was for her.

"Say, Cheren? Can I tell you something?"

"Sure, what's up?" He asked. "Everything alright?"

"Well, not exactly," She said. "I was just thinking… what if… what if I'm not a good trainer?"

He blinked. "I see. Then what was all that earlier, about how you can't wait to get going? Are you changing your mind now? It's a little late for that."

"No!" She said. "I'm still going, I just… I didn't want to worry Bianca. She has her own problems to deal with right now. Compared to that, well, I thought my worries would sound petty."

"And it's okay to worry me?"

"No!" She said again. "I mean, you're always worrying about something or other. I mean, crud, that came out wrong. What I meant to say was –"

Cheren laughed. "I'm just kidding, Touko."

She huffed out a sigh. "You never make it easy for me, do you?"

"Nope," He said. "But what's this about you not being a good trainer? Why worry about it now?"

"When we get our Pokémon tomorrow, everything changes," She said slowly. "For the first time in my life, there's someone looking to me for guidance. I have to be the one to make good decisions, because I'm not the only one that'll suffer the consequences if I choose wrong. That's a lot of responsibility on my part as a trainer, and… I don't know if I'll be good enough."

"Listen, Touko, everyone has to start somewhere," He pointed out. "You can't just jump in to something new and expect to be good at it."

"I know," She said helplessly. "But what if –"

"Relax," He said as he looked her in the eye. "It's gonna be okay. If I know you, Touko, you'll rise to the challenge. You'll do a good job."

"Really?" She said hopefully.

"Really," He said. "You'll be a good trainer. Of course, not as good as me."

She shoved him lightly. "Of course not, Mr. Future Champion."

He grinned. "I aim to achieve. But seriously, there's nothing to worry about. Bianca and I will be right there with you."

"You will?"

"Every step of the way," He said. "And even after that, if you want."

She smiled. "Always."

The next day, Touko wins her first battle against Cheren. As he revives his Snivy, she can't help saying, "You'll be a good trainer, Cheren. Of course, not as good as me."

He scoffs and says, "Can't come up with your own remarks, can you?"

Bianca giggles on the side. After such a long time, the three of them have finally become Pokémon trainers.

* * *

Touko gazed out over Aspertia City's famous outlook point. She leaned over the railing and felt the wind brush her hair gently. Trees stretched out for miles beyond her vantage point. Towns and cities cropped up along the main dirt road with a few ponds and mountains sprinkled in-between. Everything looked so small beneath her, and Touko sighed at its beauty. With the world spread out at her fingertips, she was reminded again of the first day the three of them left home.

For a few hours she'd done nothing but lie on the grass as she thought about things. She kept drifting back to the railing every so often, utterly enchanted by the view. Night was beginning to fall as a few streetlamps slowly started to come to life. Pinpricks of light illuminated bits of nature, and Touko could identify brightly lit cities in the distance.

She'd spent a long time thinking to herself. Recollections of childhood filled her mind and she smiled fondly at the memories. She flashed back to all the times Cheren had been there beside her and it made her feel grateful all over again. When she thought back to how she'd rejected him, Touko instantly felt guilty all over again. It was the way he kept smiling afterward that really ate at her conscious. If she knew Cheren at all, she knew that was just a façade he put on to assure her that he was alright. She put a hand to her forehead and let out a frustrated sigh. Why was it that the more she thought about it, the more she started to regret her decision?

Wait. She regretted it? Did that mean she would give him a different answer now? _He's a great friend_, Touko thought.

But was that all? Something was different now. After she became aware of his feelings for her, she couldn't think of him in the same way anymore. There was something else. Cheren wasn't just her friend anymore. He was more than that. He was…

Touko glanced down sharply at her watch. She had time. She threw her bag over her shoulder and rushed down the stairs toward the gym. There was something she needed to tell Cheren.

* * *

_We're almost at the end! Next chapter: The chapter you've all been waiting for!_


	11. The Right Girl

_This is the chapter you've all been waiting for._

* * *

**Epilogue – Chapter 10**

**The Right Girl**

"I don't need you checking up on me, Bianca."

She put her hands on her hips in frustration. Cheren was working at his desk and hadn't even bothered to look up before commenting. Bianca was used to it, considering that this was Cheren, but it still annoyed her at how easily he brushed her off. "I'm not checking up on you. Who says I'm checking up on you?"

"You're kind of predictable."

She made a coughing noise. "Look, buddy, I didn't come to hear your sarcastic remarks. I just came to make sure you weren't checking into heartbreak hotel."

He glanced up and raised an eyebrow. "See? Predictable. I told you, I'm _fine_. Now if that's all, please see yourself out. The door's right there."

She tapped her fingers on the desk. "Nice try. Actually, there's something else. I came to apologize, alright?"

Cheren looked up at her. "For what?"

"You'll never find out unless you get your ungrateful butt out here and walk with me."

"Ignoring the fact that you just insulted me, I'll comply, if only because I'm interested in hearing this apology," He said as he followed her out of the office. "I mean, it's not like I was busy or anything."

She didn't reply and kept walking. Out the door, across the grass, and towards the same bench they'd sat on two weeks ago. Once seated, she let out a long sigh that was highly uncharacteristic of Bianca. Cheren sat down beside her, deciding the best course of action was to simply wait for her to respond.

"I'm sorry for pressuring you," She finally said. "I kept pushing you to confess to Touko, and it didn't turn out quite the way I was hoping. I know it's not really my fault, but I feel sort of responsible for the way things played out. And I guess in the end, you're the one who got hurt the most. So, I'm sorry, Cheren."

He patted her on the shoulder. "I don't blame you. I'm glad she was honest with me."

She looked at him. "So what are you going to do now?"

He shrugged. "I don't know. Find someone else to love?"

Bianca regarded him skeptically. "If you say so, Cheren. If you say so."

"Can you do me a favor? Tell the trainers I'm closing up the gym for today," He said, already taking out his Unfezant's Pokeball.

"Uh, sure, but where are you going?" She asked as he climbed aboard his Pokémon. "What's the rush? Was it something I said? Because if it was –"

"No, I just want to go clear my head for a bit," He said. "You understand, right?"

"Okay," She said, a look of concern flashing across her face. "Take care of yourself, okay?"

"I will."

* * *

He sat on the grass of Route 1, staring out at the ocean. It was familiar and pleasant, with the wind tasting slightly salty and the grass swaying lazily back and forth. Cheren nonchalantly picked up a pebble and tossed it out across the water. It made two skips before sinking, at which he sighed. He was never very good at it anyway.

He selected another rock at random, flicking his wrist more this time. It managed three skips and then sank. He remembered when the three of them used to do this a lot before.

"It's all in the wrist," Is what he used to say. Not that the advice helped much. Touko was even worse than he was; more often than not her rocks would sink immediately without making any jumps at all. Surprisingly, Bianca was the best at it. Cheren laughed at the memory of Bianca making five or six skips on her first try. And when he and Touko had insisted it was beginner's luck, she'd done it consecutively three more times.

His laughter died down and the smile faded from his face. He remembered the way Touko would laugh in a self-deprecating way, rubbing her head sheepishly. She'd always say she was terrible at it, but if nothing else she was a good sport about it. He tossed another set of stones out at the water, but his heart wasn't in it anymore. Only one of them managed a feeble hop before sinking.

"Who am I kidding," He said softly. "Find someone else to love, yeah right. I don't think I could ever feel the same about someone else."

Cheren let out a frustrated sigh and ran his hands through his hair. He knew it was hopeless. She was too much a part of his life for him to just forget his love for her.

* * *

There was the sound of approaching footsteps. Cheren tensed a little. He was so absorbed in his thoughts he hadn't noticed anyone else arriving. He was about to get up and leave when he heard his name.

"Hey, Cheren."

He hardly dared to breathe. Why was she here? Did she know? Was she taking pity on him? Cautiously, he turned around to face her. She smiled at him with all the same kindness he'd come to appreciate over the years and he suddenly felt stupid for thinking Touko would ever pity him that way. He relaxed his shoulders and waved in response.

"I thought you might be here," She said as she moved to stand closer to him.

"How'd you know?" He asked.

"I guessed," She admitted. "But I'd have figured it out sooner or later. Sometimes the best place to go is home. Or, at least relatively close to home."

She had no idea. Cheren signaled for her to sit down on the grass beside him, which she did. "It feels nostalgic," He said. "This is where our journey started, and I've never forgotten that day when we first stepped out into the real world. This place reminds me of back then."

"I know what you mean," She said, watching the water along with him. "We've been to so many places and seen so many things, but this is where everything started. I never thought I'd be the type to reminisce so much, but after everything that's happened it's kind of hard not to, you know?"

"Yeah," He said, turning his attention back to Touko. "You were looking for me?"

"I was," She said as the wind passed through her hair. "I forgot to give you this."

Touko held out a Pokeball to him and he took it automatically. He pressed the center button and a jet of red light emerged from the ball. A Shinx stood before him, wagging its tail happily. It regarded him curiously for a second before practically running up to meet him. He held out a hand and it gently pressed its cheek to his palm. With his other hand Cheren stroked its fur soothingly, a smile already spreading on his face.

"Was this the Pokémon you mentioned before?" He asked, his eyes still trained on the Shinx.

"I named her Zinn. If you want to change it –"

"It's perfect," He said, turning to Touko. "Thank you. I'll take good care of her."

Zinn purred contentedly before skipping off to play near the flowers. He chuckled as the Pokémon rolled around in the grass, pouncing on leaves.

"So what's the real reason you came here?" He asked.

She blinked. "You're sharp."

"And you only figured that out now?"

She pushed him lightly and he repeated the gesture. It was nice, he realized, to fall right back into their routine without any awkwardness between them. "Anyway," She said as she tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. "I wanted to say I'm sorry."

He felt himself tense up. _Cue the awkwardness_, he thought. In a desperate attempt to salvage the conversation, he said, "Um, it's okay, Touko, you really don't have to –"

"No, Cheren, just listen," She cut in. "I'm not giving you a pity talk and I'm not here to make you feel guilty. Got it? So shut up and listen."

He managed a chuckle and a half-smile. "You would say something like that, wouldn't you?"

"And as a matter of fact, I just did," She said, returning his smile with one of her own. "Because this is important and I need to say it."

"Okay, go ahead," He said, mildly intrigued. "I'm all ears."

"Do you remember the day we left to start out Pokémon journeys?"

"How could I forget?" He said automatically. "We passed through here, in fact, on our way to the next town."

She nodded, a smile on her face. "I remember standing here with you, looking out at the world and thinking that there were so many things to do that I'd hardly have time to do it all. And I remember you took my hand, even though we hadn't held hands since we were seven. But you know what? It wasn't weird at all, and I just felt like in that moment you understood me… better than anyone."

Cheren was looking at her seriously now, taking in every word she said. Touko stopped speaking, and she turned to look down at their hands. She carefully wrapped her hand around his before looking directly at him. "You've _always_ understood me better than anyone, Cheren."

He caught his breath, and he felt like she was looking into his soul as they sat there. He felt so close to Touko and the anticipation was riding so high that all he could do was wait for her to say more.

She did. "And I was an idiot for not seeing that three days ago."

His eyes widened. _Is she saying…?_ "Touko, do you –"

Before he could get the words out, she leaned forward and kissed him. It was so sudden he barely had time to close his eyes before her lips were on his and she was all around him and he was breathing in everything that she was and… it was wonderful. It was gentle and warm and said all the things that words could never say.

She pulled away slowly, blushing as she stared into his eyes. And then, very softly, she whispered, "I'm in love with you, Cheren. And I think I always have been."

He smiled, genuinely and truly smiled. "So much for awkwardness," He said. "Because I feel the same. I'm in love with you too, Touko. I should have told you how I felt sooner, because then –"

She put a finger to his lips. "You talk too much," She said. "Will you go out with me?"

"Of course," He said. "But you know, after the kiss, I kind of thought that was a given."

* * *

…_And that's a wrap! Thank you, one and all, for reading Epilogue! And for all you silent readers out there, don't be afraid to leave a review or send me a PM! I'd love to hear from you. Stay tuned for the epilogue!_


	12. Epilogue

_The epilogue is nothing more than shameless fluff. But you know you like it._

* * *

**Epilogue – Epilogue**

**You're My Best Friend**

They were holding hands. It was a clear afternoon in Nuvema Town, and the two of them had returned home for the day to spend some time together.

When Cheren thought about the past few months, he remembered almost nothing but happiness. There was hardly a need for them to transition from best friends to dating. They were so close already that it was merely one step further in their relationship.

"What are you thinking about?" Touko asked.

"Just remembering Bianca's reaction the other day," he said, a smile spreading on his face. "It was hilarious."

"How could I forget?" She asked drily.

* * *

_"Well, you two seem nice and cozy," Bianca said one day. She was sipping a fruit smoothie, raising an eyebrow at Cheren and Touko._

_ Cheren coughed. "Do you have to comment every time we're together?"_

_ "Yup," she said as she took a long sip from her straw. "Get used to it. The opportunity is too fun to pass up."_

_ "So, have you got any guys lined up, Bianca?" Touko asked casually._

_ "Yeah, I'm interested in that, too," Cheren added. "Maybe if you got a relationship of your own you'd stop bugging me about mine so much."_

_ She rolled her eyes. "What, you think you're some expert now that you've got a girlfriend? You've still got a lot to learn, Cheren. And it's none of your business."_

_ He raised an eyebrow. "So there is someone?"_

_ "I'll never say," she said, turning her nose up. "You'll just have to keep guessing –"_

_ "There is!" He said. "Wow, I never would have thought –"_

_ "– And guessing and guessing, because you'll never figure out –"_

_ " – that you'd like Touya."_

_ The pause that followed was a long one. Bianca's hold on her drink slipped and the empty Styrofoam cup fell to the ground. It rolled onto the grass as she just stared at them. Then, Bianca's jaw dropped. "How'd you KNOW?" She screeched. "Er, I mean, you're so wrong. Me, like Touya? Get real, Cheren."_

_ Cheren laughed. "Not an expert, huh?"_

* * *

"Yeah, that was pretty funny," Touko said. "Although it was a little awkward to know that she's got a crush on my brother. But I guess I'd rather it be Bianca than some other girl."

"It's funny you mention that, because Touya said something similar to me about you."

"He did?"

He shrugged. "You know how Touya is. He's a little crazy. No offense."

Touko laughed and Cheren smiled in response. "So, I've been wondering," she said. "When did you fall in love with me?"

He coughed and spluttered a bit before saying, "You're asking that now? Why do you want to know?"

She grinned. "Because. So when was it?"

He let out a long breath, clearly thinking about it. Touko hummed tunelessly to herself, fingers casually entwined with Cheren's. Eventually he said, "If I had to name one moment, it was when you beat me in our first Pokémon battle."

She looked at him curiously. "Why then? All I remember was you being disappointed about losing to me."

"After that battle, it became clear to me that I could never surpass you," he said. "I saw the way you bonded instantly with your Oshawott, and the way the two of you acted as one in battle. I knew then that being the Champion was just a pipe dream for me."

"Cheren," she said but he held up a hand.

"I saw you battle that day and I knew, even if you didn't, that you would be the Champion someday. You could go that far, because you trusted your Pokémon. And that was the moment that I knew," he looked at her. "That I'd follow you anywhere."

"Cheren," she whispered softly. She squeezed his hand gently, and he responded in kind.

"…But I think I always knew," he said. "That what I felt for you was different than what I felt for anyone else. Because when you look at me, I know you're not seeing Cheren, the smart guy, or Cheren, the great Pokémon trainer, or Cheren, that one guy in the glasses."

She laughed at that, but he kept going. "I know you see me as Cheren, your best friend. And around you, that's all I need to be. Just Cheren."

Touko closed her eyes and leaned into his shoulder. "You know I love you, right?"

"Yeah," he said as she wrapped her arms around his neck. "I know."

* * *

Because your best friend is always the better soul mate.

* * *

_When I first started writing this story I wasn't sure if anyone would even read it since Checkmateshipping isn't very popular. But now that Epilogue is finished, I'm incredibly touched by the amount of people that read this story and liked it. Just so that this note doesn't end up as long as the chapter, I'll be putting an author's commentary on my profile page. It'll mostly just be me ranting about the process of writing this story, so unless you care to read all that this is the official end of Epilogue. I do have an encore oneshot planned that sort of kind of ties into this story, so stay tuned for that. As always, thanks for reading!_


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